‘Greek police used tear gas to turn back 4,000 people at the border with Turkey who flooded the checkpoint after Ankara announced it will no longer stop people from crossing into the EU.
People seeking to enter Europe rushed to the Turkish border town of Edirne on Friday, but found the Greek authorities were not willing to let them in. Since the 2015 migrant crisis, both Greece and Bulgaria have erected fences on their borders with Turkey. Both nations ramped up security after Ankara effectively tore up its agreement with the EU, under which it kept millions of refugees in its territory in exchange for financial aid and political concessions.
In the first 24 hours of the border crisis, 4,000 people were stopped from crossing into Greek territory, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Saturday. Footage from the scene shows large crowds of masked men walking and running near the barrier chanting “Turkey, Turkey.” Clouds of tear gas can also be seen.
Read more: Doors SHUT: Greek police stop wave of refugees with closed border gates & tear gas
